


Snow White and the Seven Knights

by spiderlillium



Series: Numbers [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Snow White Fusion, Fairy Tale Retellings, M/M, Snow White retelling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-22
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-02 19:16:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5260478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiderlillium/pseuds/spiderlillium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prince Erwin takes on the challenge of finding the lost Princess Snow of the Empire of Three.</p><p>What he finds instead, is not a meek exiled princess - but a man in a blue bloodied dress and a dagger against his throat.</p><p>Retelling of Snow White.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Like many princes who stood next in line to the throne, Erwin suffered the misfortune of having his royal father and mother’s insistence of him taking a bride.  
  
Many years since his coming of age, he had been pestered time and time again to search for a fair maid to wed. But the prince simply had more important matters to busy himself with, like keeping his kingdom’s peace and prosperity – and for that the masses had grown to love their Crowned Prince Erwin, who was not only of noble blood, but also of noble heart.  
  
It was not as if the King and Queen were not grateful that their son valued the realm greatly – after all, it was under the Prince’s command that they had won battles against plundering enemies more instances that one can count in both hands. Yet time goes on for any man, and the King fears his fearless firstborn would die in the battlefield and leave no heirs behind, as the Prince was prone to acts of selflessness and heroics.  
  
And so, in an act of complete desperation, the King declared that Erwin should go on a quest to find a wife before his 30th birthday, or else come home estranged – stripped of his title and birthrights.  
  
Of course, like a good son, Erwin had bent the knee and heeded his Sire’s word, despite thinking that it was rather ridiculous that his father would go to such lengths just to persuade him. The realm is kept well at this time, so he found no initial reason to refuse – and it was about time that he satisfied the duty of a prince, and later, of a king.  
  
Having taken up the challenge, Prince Erwin set off in his journey accompanied by a party of two knights – his best and most able friends, Mikael and Nile. With their horses packed with necessities, the trio wandered away from the reaches of their realm and into distant lands to find a suitable candidate for the Prince’s betrothal.

Far and wide they searched, and in countless other kingdoms they asked for maidens of noble birth who were willing to wed a Prince. Naturally, many had lined up to beg Erwin’s audience – but the Prince was only mildly interested, more eager to learn of the ways and livings of the people in the lands they have visited.  
  
Dismayed and disgruntled, Mikael and Nile thought it was a fruitless quest – that is until they heard the tale of Princess Snow.  
  
It was said that far in the East there was an Empire of Three Kingdoms. Their realm was so large that it spanned out over mountain ranges and the entire lengths of rivers, and up to the coast, where it’s power also reached isles out in the sea. The empire had long been flourishing and occasionally peaceful –  _occasionally_ , as greed almost always takes over realms as large as this.  
  
It did not take long after a period of peace for one of the three kings of the empire to plan to overthrow the Emperor. As expected, an uprising turned into a full fledged war, and with the empire divided, chaos reigned. Over a foul betrayal, the Emperor and his family were massacred at the sacking of the capital, which signaled the end of the quarrel for power – and without an heir to claim the throne, the rebel king declared himself the new ruler.  
  
Yet there were whispers among the folk that the youngest child of the old emperor had escaped – smuggled away by his most trusted knights, hidden out of sight, well away from the bloodshed. This unnamed heir was said to have hair as black as night and skin as pale as snow – which then in turn earned the child the nickname ‘Princess Snow’.  
  
This tale, of course, did not go unnoticed by the rebel king. Outraged, he sent his riders to find the Princess. So great was his clutches of influence that he received a whisper that Princess Snow had went into hiding in the Forest near the Mountains, at the edges of the realm in the north. Knowing the scale of the forests that lined their borders, the rebel king sought a service of another sort to rid himself of his enemy. Full of malice, he sent sorcerers to cast a horrible curse at the woods where the Princess had fled, so that she and her subjects may never find her way out of it.  
  
Whether the tale of Princess Snow was true or not, Erwin had been piqued and intrigued. It also happened to be said that the lost heir was of marrying age by now – which strengthened the Prince’s interest even more.  
  
So, with a new lead, Prince Erwin changed course and headed to the East, in search for the long lost Princess of the Empire of Three. 


	2. Chapter 2

Needless to say, the journey they had embarked on was simply foolish and downright senseless.  
  
Prince Erwin had always harbored a weakness for the oppressed. A thirst to bring justice. It was all right and proper if you think about it, but traveling to this eastern empire to rescue a girl… Well, even for the Prince, it was rather far-fetched.  
  
Mikael and Nile are  _only_  supposed to do what they are told – which of course, led them to question Erwin every step of the way.  
  
“I will rule very soon,” Erwin had explained, finally, when they had boarded two ships and crossed three seas just so they could reach the Empire of Three. “And ruling means I have to sit in the Throne room all day, protected by the palace walls… Except for when I ride to battle, which will also be very scarce, as kings are very important, even in a game of chess. It is not that I abhor the life of a king – it will be a pleasure to serve and guide the realm, but as you know, I have a rather large thirst for adventure, and I don’t think it would be a very great adventure, sitting in the Throne room all day.  
  
“So let me have this one last quest – let me be foolish, for once, and enjoy it, for I don’t have much time left to be free. I swear on the honor of my family that I will take a wife, whether or not I find this Princess Snow, and fulfill my duty… But give me this. Allow me this.”  
  
And so, Mikael and Nile did, because Erwin can be very persuading, and it was hard to say no when the Prince used his most convincing tone.

Upon arriving at the bay of the Empire, the three of them headed to the North, which took a whole month and a quarter more. The seasons had changed since their long journey – spring was but a dream where the cold is creeping fast and coming hard, and their gold was nearly spent, but that did not dissuade Prince Erwin. Pushing on, he walked and rode to the edges of the northern territories of the Empire, where surely, he found the supposed cursed forest where Princess Snow had been last seen.  
  
The Forest near the Mountain wasn’t an apt description of it. The Forests by and around the Mountain Ranges would have been a more accurate term, because that’s just what it was: a long, seemingly endless land of woods blanketing over the area of the mountain ranges stretching as far as the eye can see in both western and eastern directions.

Looking at the scale of the forest, even Erwin had his doubts of finding this Princess. After all, it had been years upon years, and tales passed through whispers can only hold so much truth in them…  
  
Then again, it was too late to back down, and it was not in Erwin’s nature to give up without trying. So with a strengthened will, he pushed on, with his two best mates at his side.  
  
Their journey so far had not been addled with misfortune, and that is, very conveniently, until now. A fortnight into the forest, Erwin and his knights happened to have fallen victim to a gang of bandits who meant to steal from them and kill them while they camped out in the night. Of course, this lead to an encounter, which developed into a sword fight, a fist fight, a brief chase, and eventually, a parting of ways.  
  
In the dark of night where the only light was offered by the moon, Erwin was at a loss. It was a triumph, having two of the bandits killed, but as he had rode to chase one down to take back their gold, he had been separated from his comrades.  
  
Lost, the Prince was left to wander around with his tired horse, trying to remember his way back to his camp, but his efforts was in vain. The forest seemed to have swallowed him down it’s twisty gut – and it was worse because he cannot see very well, as the moon wasn’t full.  
  
Seemingly after hours of trying, Erwin gave up, and meant to try again tomorrow, when there is sunlight. Deciding to sleep up a tree to avoid any more bandits, the Prince climbed an old, tall oak, and settled on one of it’s larger branches.  
  
He was just then trying to be comfortable in his chosen spot when he spied a flicker of light at a distance – and upon a huge amount of squinting – a house! There it was, as plain as day, lit dimly by the meager moonlight, perhaps a bit ragged from what he can tell – but a house, nonetheless!  
  
Renewed by this discovery, Erwin immediately climbed down the great oak and mounted on his destrier and rode fast toward the house’s direction. If he’s lucky, he could beg for a bit of soup from the family who lived there, and maybe they’ll let him sleep in the stables. It was getting rather cold as winter approached, and Erwin did not have the energy and resources to make a fire himself at this state.  
  
The house in the woods had a sort of patchwork look to it – originally, it was a small house, but it appeared to have sections attached to it, which made it uneven. Still, there are lamps and a hearth with a roaring fire inside of it, so Erwin deemed that it is inhabited.  
  
“Pardon me?” came Erwin’s voice, loud and clear, as he knocked. “I’m so sorry to intrude into your land – but I am hopelessly lost, and I cannot find my friends in the dark of the night. I mean no harm – I only ask if…”  
  
Yet as he knocked again, the door creaked open just a tiny bit – it was unlocked and unbarred. Alarmed at this carelessness, Erwin pushed the door so he could enter softly.  
  
“Is anybody here? I mean no harm,” He repeated, but no one spoke back. Dreading that the family who lived here suffered an attack from the same gang of bandits that assaulted him and his friends, Erwin continued his search, hand steady by his sword.  
  
The house in the woods is a cozy, odd place, and everywhere you look there is some sort of disarray in it – but the more you stare at it, the more the mess seemed intentional, like there is a particular reason why it is in that state.  
  
Further inside, Erwin was lured with a scent of a cooking stew, and surely as he entered the kitchen and dining room where a long, wooden table rested close to the hearth, he found a large pewter cauldron hung over the dying fire. The fire had degraded to shining embers by now, and the remaining heat of it led the stew into a soft, slow boil – but all the same it is already cooked, and Erwin felt a great desire to take a wooden bowl from the cupboards and serve himself some.  
  
Yet he was not some common thief, so Erwin kept his hands to himself and his sword, and continued to explore the place with caution.  
  
Wandering some more, Erwin found a his way to the main room and into a hall where seven beds were lined up, four on the right, and three on the left, by another door, and had another hearth at the end of it. There were shelves high atop the beds, and drawers scattered in between. Some of the beds were unkempt, with clothes scattered over them, but others were tidied up – which made the Prince think that someone might have ceased in their cleaning. Perhaps they have been interrupted?  
  
Tearing his gaze away from this, Erwin set off to the rickety staircase that was just next to this hall. It creaked noisily in his ascent, which startled the Prince into half-drawing his sword. The quiet was discomforting, at the very least.  
  
Still, he trudged on, and upon the landing, there were two rooms with two handsome doors – one was locked shut, while the other was slightly ajar.  
  
“Is anybody here?” Erwin called out clearly, finally drawing his sword.  
  
There was no reply. The Prince pushed the door slowly, ready for an ambush, but it never came – what did, however, was a sight that robbed him out of words.  
  
There by one of the windows was a four-poster bed – and on the plush cushions and pillows lay the most extraordinary woman the Prince has ever laid eyes on in his twenty-eight years of living.  
  
She had long hair that fanned out on the pillows – black as lacquer and night. In the soft lamplight she seemed to be glowing, with skin as white as winter snow. Stepping closer, Erwin looked at her fair face, at the pout of her lips that was redder than a rose, of her cheeks that had gotten pink in the cold. She was so  _beautiful_  – so much so, that Erwin stood there transfixed, merely staring at her.  
  
As Erwin feasted her eyes upon her, he spied a deep red stain on her stomach, on her blue, blue dress, and his heart sank. Blood had dried dark on the fabric, with two noticeable cuts. She had been stabbed! Alarmed, the Prince set down his sword, and went to help the maiden, if she had not already perished.  
  
Yet in a blink of an eye, he was suddenly on the carpeted floor, lying flat on it with a dagger against his throat, and a knee digging against his right arm. His fair maiden had risen from her slumber and had pinned him down so easily that Erwin was more surprised of her strength rather than of her deception.  
  
“How many of you are there?” The voice came as a surprise – it was deep and loathing, which was very odd and inappropriate for a young lady.  “Tell me quickly or I  _will_  kill you.”  
  
“You’ll kill me anyway even if I did, won’t you?” said Erwin in a soft voice, and found himself staring straight at gray eyes. “That was very clever of you, my lady – the blood on the dress, pretending that you were dead… I fell right into the trap.”  
  
“Lady?” The maiden let out a scathing laugh. “Wear a dress and put on a wig, and every man will come and think that you’re some wench.” The blade against Erwin’s throat pressed harder, and for a moment the Prince was afraid his flesh will give way for the dagger to cut him. “Listen well to my voice, fool.”  
  
And so Erwin did, and felt indeed like a fool for he had not realized it sooner.  
  
“There you go,” The maiden – who was not really a maiden, smiled derisively down at the Prince. “Now tell me where your friends are, and tell me how many are they.”  
  
Erwin stared up at the maiden who was not really a maiden and thought painfully that he still found her –  _he_  – so devastatingly beautiful, and more so when a smile grazed those red lips. “I am – alone. My friends were attacked by bandits, and we were separated in the encounter. I am lost.” He was not sure why he blurted out the truth – it might not have been the wisest decisions.   
  
 _“Lies,”_  The man in the blue, bloodied dress hissed. “All of it. We heard your horses. Your laughs. Do not lie to me, or I’ll geld you first before I slit your throat.”  
  
 _My father would not be pleased if it came to that,_  Erwin thought with mirth. “I tell no lies. We were robbed – and I killed two of the bandits to retrieve our little gold. I am merely a traveler from a distant kingdom.” A pause. If he’s going to be honest anyway, he might as well go all the way. “My name is Erwin, firstborn of King Ervard of Sundryhill. I am in search for – a woman. A princess. She had been scorned from her empire by the rebel king who now calls himself Emperor, and had been forced to flee in this very forest.”  
  
Both of them became very still. Silence passed like a thought, and in a heartbeat, the man with the dagger began to laugh.  
  
“A princess?” He was smiling but it was mocking, and dug the blade so forcefully against Erwin’s throat that he finally drew blood. “Why, dear prince, you have come to the right place.”  
  
And then came the strike, a blow that knocked him out of his senses, and before he drifted into unconsciousness, Erwin heard the sound of hooves.


	3. Chapter 3

Erwin drifted in and out of consciousness. He felt as if his head had turned into lead, and his awareness of his surroundings had become dimmed. It's much like being in a boat at sea. Everything is moving. Stirring. Swaying slow and fast in uneven intervals. Around him the world spun with flashes of firelight, of images of a wooden house and unintelligible voices, and in his vertigo of hallucinations, it was better to close his eyes and drown it all.  
  
“WAKE UP!”  
  
Something slapped him hard on the face. Erwin heard it and felt it, but his eyelids were too heavy – he only managed a jolt and a brief unfocused glance around him before his eyes rolled to the back of his head again.  
  
“I daresay you hit him out of his wits, Your Highness.”  
  
There was a scoff, and a few sniggering sounds.   
  
“If that is so, let us stop this nonesense and feed him to the wolves. I'm sure Jaeger's pack would be very pleased to feast on a fool like him.”  
  
“My hunters would be, Your Imperial Highness – but with all due respect, _I_ won't approve of it. If this man is telling the truth.... A Crowned Prince...”  
  
“He is not a prince! He's a killer and a burglar!”  
  
“His sword bears the sigil of a House I am familiar with... A smith's hammer against a sword. And it's made of Everlasting steel! Your Highness, there is no one better than the Blacksmiths of Sundryhill in forging swords as fine as this. The rulers hailing from their kin used to be called the Commoner Kings–”  
  
“I don't need a history lesson, Arlelt. And he could have stolen the sword, for all we knew!”  
  
“Whether or not he stole the sword – we will never know... But what about the tale he speaks of? A quest to find a princess exiled from her empire... _Why_ did he chose to say that? He could not have known that you are _indeed_... What I mean to say is, he could not have _immediately_ thought of telling you that lie when you confronted him, Your Imperial Highness. He'd thought such an appropriate one. It can't just be a coincidence that he had made it up.”  
  
There was a hush among them. Erwin couldn't tell which direction his head had lolled to when he had gotten slapped earlier, but he heard their discussions in full, albeit processing them a little slowly.  
  
“I think he's telling the truth,” came a _different_ voice – for all speakers had voices of men, and this particular one had come from a woman, though hers is a little gritty. “I have no basis on this, Your Imperial Highness. 'Tis just a feeling in my gut.”  
  
“My lady, if you're telling me this just because you already want to sup–”  
  
“ _Ooh_ , does this mean the stew is ready? Because I can smell it from where I'm siting. Oh, Your Highness, pardon me, but I'm so famished – let's go ahead and have dinner, it has gotten so late. Let us wake the Blacksmith Prince so we can all dine–”  
  
“For _fuck's_ sake–”  
  
“We don't _know_ if he's truly a prince, so don't address him as such! And he's not getting any food from us, and nor are you, not until we settle this matter!”  
  
There was no hush among them, this time. A burst of voices blended with each other, along with the background noise of barking and distant howling. It had gotten to a point that even in Erwin's increasing awareness, he couldn't make out the individual arguments coming from all of them – that was until another voice – female, apart from the other gritty one – commanded their attention.  
  
“Do you really think he is a thief, dear brother?”  
  
The lot of them fell into silence to bear audience to the soft voice.  
  
“I do. I think he is a plunderer who had used the route of the Forest to ambush merchants. No doubt while I was playing the part of a damsel asleep, he had paused before me too _look_. If I had not put on the trap dress, he might have tried to take advantage of me. After all, he had actually believed that I was a woman, until I pointed out his mistake.”  
  
“Do you think so? I think he might have just admired how nice you look in a dress.”  
  
“And what do you mean by that, sister of mine?”  
  
“Nothing of an ill sort, my dearest. I was merely stating that you look good in everything you wear.”  
  
“You can make all the little jokes you want, but remember that this might not have happened if you had not wandered off to welcome Jaeger and his pack from their nightly hunting.”  
  
“I am _perfectly_ capable of defending myself. You just overreacted and sent the knights for me, leaving you defenseless–”  
  
“However good you are with the sword, you are going to lose against a bandit of five – or more! And don't you turn my own argument against me. Do not turn away from the truth that your foolish desire to–”  
  
“Don't you speak of that! You promised to _never_ tell!”  
  
And another burst of noises came forth to fill Erwin's head with a buzz that did not help his dizziness. There were pleas of staying calm, demands of dinner, and louder barking and yapping. The Prince tried to make sense of it all in his own time, but it proved to be too difficult – so with a heavy head, Erwin let himself fall asleep once more. 


End file.
